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Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, points to need for expanded monitoring program

By Guest PostJanuary 22, 2014Environmentandrew suyker, ann arbor, arctic blast, christopher spence, climate change, climate variability, environmental consulting firm, evaporation study, glisa, granite island, great lakes, great lakes evaporation, great lakes ice, high evaporation rate, impact, indicator, john anderton, john lenters, lake michigan, lake superior, lake water balance, light station, limnotech, michigan state university, peter blanken, solar radiation, stannard rock light, university of michigan, water level, weather station, white shoal light

ANN ARBOR — The recent Arctic blast that gripped much of the nation will likely contribute to a healthy rise in Great Lakes water levels in 2014, new research shows. But the processes responsible for that welcome outcome are not as simple and straightforward as you might think.

Yes, extreme winter cold increases ice cover on the Great Lakes, which in turn reduces evaporation by preventing water vapor from escaping into the air. But this simplistic view of winter ice as a mere “cap” on Great Lakes evaporation is giving way to a more nuanced conception, one that considers the complex interplay among evaporation, ice cover and water temperature at different times of year. (more…)

NASA Helps Melt Secrets of Great Lakes Ice

By Guest PostNovember 15, 2013Environmentcanadian economy, ers 2, european, george leshkevich, great lakes ice, icebreaker, icebreaking ship, lake superior, major ice type, melt secrets, NASA, noaa, remote sensing satellite, satellite observation, son nghiem, US, us coast guard

Two scientists from NASA and NOAA have developed a new space-based technique for monitoring the ice cover of the Great Lakes that is so accurate it can identify a narrow channel of open water cut through the ice by an icebreaker — even at night.

“In the dark, it’s difficult to read a map that’s right in front of you,” said Son Nghiem of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., one of the developers of the new technique. “Yet we now have a way to use satellite radars almost 500 miles [800 kilometers] out in space to see through clouds and darkness and map ice across the Great Lakes.” (more…)

New Study Finds That Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contains ‘Super Bacteria’

By Guest PostNovember 27, 2011Environmentantibiotic resistance genes, antibiotic resistant bacteria, antibiotic use in agriculture, antibiotics, bacterial infections, david tan, duluth, duluth superior harbor, environmental microbiology, global ecology, industrial wastewater discharge, jessica eichmiller, lake superior, mi yan, municipal wastewater, municipal wastewater treatment facility, northeastern minnesota, patrick mcnamara, st louis river, superbacteria, surface waters, timothy lapara, treated municipal wastewater, treatment facility in duluth, tucker burch, university of minnesota

*University of Minnesota research suggests that wastewater treated with standard technologies contains far greater quantities*

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL — A new University of Minnesota study reveals that the release of treated municipal wastewater – even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology – can have a significant effect on the quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as “superbacteria,” in surface waters.

The study also suggests that wastewater treated using standard technologies probably contains far greater quantities of antibiotic-resistant genes, but this likely goes unnoticed because background levels of bacteria are normally much higher than in the water studied in this research. (more…)

Invasive Mussels Causing Massive Ecological Changes in Great Lakes

By Guest PostApril 23, 2011Environmentalgal production, diporeia, donald scavia, ecosystem, food web, gary fahnenstiel, great lakes, great lakes food web, huron, lake huron, lake michigan, lake superior, mary anne evans, michigan, mussels, non native mussels, quagga, silica levels, university of michigan, zebra, zebra mussels

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The ongoing spread of non-native mussels in the Great Lakes has caused “massive, ecosystem-wide changes” throughout lakes Michigan and Huron, two of the planet’s largest freshwater lakes, according to a new University of Michigan-led study.

The blitzkrieg advance of two closely related species of mussels—the zebra and quagga—is stripping the lakes of their life-supporting algae, resulting in a remarkable ecological transformation and threatening the multibillion-dollar U.S. commercial and recreational Great Lakes fisheries. (more…)

NASA Orbiter Reveals Big Changes in Mars’ Atmosphere

By Guest PostApril 22, 2011Scienceatmosphere, dry ice, frozen carbon dioxide, greenhouse effect, lake superior, liquid water, mars, mars reconnaissance orbiter, martian carbon dioxide, martian dust storms, martian surface, NASA, red planet, roberto seu, roger phillips, south pole

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered the total amount of atmosphere on Mars changes dramatically as the tilt of the planet’s axis varies. This process can affect the stability of liquid water, if it exists on the Martian surface, and increase the frequency and severity of Martian dust storms.

Researchers using the orbiter’s ground-penetrating radar identified a large, buried deposit of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, at the Red Planet’s south pole. The scientists suspect that much of this carbon dioxide enters the planet’s atmosphere and swells the atmosphere’s mass when Mars’ tilt increases. The findings are published in this week’s issue of the journal Science. (more…)

Tag Archives: lake superior

Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, points to need for expanded monitoring program

NASA Helps Melt Secrets of Great Lakes Ice

New Study Finds That Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contains ‘Super Bacteria’

Invasive Mussels Causing Massive Ecological Changes in Great Lakes

NASA Orbiter Reveals Big Changes in Mars’ Atmosphere